Mental Health, Job Search Monitoring and Sanctions

Last registered on February 04, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Mental Health, Job Search Monitoring and Sanctions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017777
Initial registration date
January 29, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 04, 2026, 9:52 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Thomas Le Barbanchon
Affiliation
Universita' Commerciale "Luigi Bocconi"
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Alexia Delfino
PI Affiliation
Bocconi
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PI Name
erika deserranno
PI Affiliation
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PI Name
tito boeri
PI Affiliation
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-01-28
End date
2028-01-27
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study job search and mental health of French job seekers. In 2025, the French Public Employment Services changed the rules for job search monitoring and sanctions for low search effort. We study the effects of rule changes and the role of information for job search and reform effects.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
boeri, tito et al. 2026. "Mental Health, Job Search Monitoring and Sanctions ." AEA RCT Registry. February 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17777-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This is a survey information RCT. Among survey respondents, we randomize information messages delivering statistics about job search audits, and describing job search monitoring rules.
We will have the following treatments:
T0 - control (neutral info)
T1 - information about audit rate (quantitative)
T2 - information that active search reduces audit and sanction likelihood (not quantative)
T3 - information that reactivating search may restore benefits after being sanctioned (not quantative)

We will explore heterogeneous effects by baseline:
- beliefs (levels and gradient with respect to effort)
- mental health
- job search
- age
- skills
- gender
- migration status
Intervention Start Date
2026-01-28
Intervention End Date
2026-02-27

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Labor market outcomes, mental health, life satisfaction, trust, fairness, job search, and beliefs about monitoring, about sanction rates and about job finding.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The sample is randomly split in four treatment arms: pure control group with neutral message, and three groups receiving information message during the survey.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization within the survey software
Randomization Unit
Individual worker
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Around 20,000 survey respondents
Sample size: planned number of observations
Around 20,000 survey respondents
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Around 5,000 survey respondents by treatment arms
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Bocconi University Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-12-18
IRB Approval Number
RA000851
Analysis Plan